In women, breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. One in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer during her lifetime. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), approximately 200,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States, and the disease causes about 41,000 deaths annually. The incidence of breast cancer rises after age 40. The highest incidence (approximately 80% of invasive cases) occurs in women over age 50. According to the American Cancer Society, about 0.22 percent of men cancer deaths are from breast cancer.
HMW-MAA, also known as the melanoma chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (MCSP), is a transmembrane protein of 2322 residues. HMW-MAA is expressed on over 90% of surgically removed benign nevi and melanoma lesions, and is also expressed in basal cell carcinoma, tumors of neural crest origin (e.g. astrocytomas, gliomas, neuroblastomas and sarcomas), childhood leukemias, and lobular breast carcinoma lesions. In vitro experimental data shows that HMW-MAA is involved in the adhesion, spreading and migration of melanoma cells and may have a role in cell invasion and metastasis.
Treatments and cures for many tumors e.g. both HMW-MAA-expressing and non-HMW-MAA-expressing tumors, as well as methods for prevention especially in high risk populations, are urgently needed in the art.